A little Gossip Can hurt Everyone
by gurl3677
Summary: Norman Reedus fic! Travis likes a girl but she's hiding something.  Jones and Derrick step in and find out her secret and it doesn't take long before everyone knows it. Can Travis accept it?  Will she forgive him for his friends spreading it?
1. Chapter 1

_* Please Review! Even though this story is finished, please drop me a review!*_

Jones walked through the bar quickly. She spotted her two best friends sitting at the bar. Travis was looking at something behind his right shoulder. She didn't have to look to know what he was looking at. His hands were rolling his cup around between them and she could see he was sighing. Jones smiled and glanced over at the table he was staring at.

' Of course.' Jones thought with a smile. ' She's here.'

Travis had been infatuated with a girl from his art class for almost a year but hadn't done anything about it. He knew her name and that was all. In fact, they only kept coming to that bar because it was a hot spot for her and her friends. But she and her friends never talked to anyone. They stayed together, in a tight group, having drinks and sometimes dancing with each other but they hardly talked outside their groups.

"Travis, when are you going to go and talk to her?" Jones asked as she came up between them. Travis sighed and looked at Jones as Derrick rolled his eyes.

" Never." Derrick said.

" That's not true!" Travis protested. "I talked to her today."

" You did? Travis, that's great! What did you say?" Jones asked. Travis looked into his glass.

" Ah, well, I needed some paint that was behind her so I...I...I said ' excuse me can I have that?' " He admitted. When neither one of his friends said anything, he looked up at them. Derrick and Jones were trying not to smile and laugh. "Shut the fuck up." Travis explained.

" Travis, you are great looking, and your whole artist thing, completely sexy. Just go talk to her, go buy her a drink." Jones said. Travis shook his head.

" No, I don't think I should. I mean, she never talks to any guys that come up to her." He glanced back at her then at Jones. " Let's say I buy her a drink, she turns me down, then what the hell am I going to do when I have to see her everyday?"

" Hey, can I get a vodka and coke?" A soft voice came from behind him. Travis' eyes widen and Derrick and Jones smirked. They both turned and walked away quickly.

Slowly Travis turned so he was facing the bar. He glanced to his right and saw her standing there. He tighten his hold on his cup. They were so close, their sides were almost touching. This was the closest he had come to her. Her perfume came up to him. He knew the scent, it was Pink by Victoria Secret. Jones liked to wear it too. She stumbled slightly and hit him in the side.

" Oh my gosh!" She explained as she grabbed his arm. " I'm so sorry!"

" No, it's okay." He said quickly. She tilted her head and smiled at him as she dropped her hand from his arm.

" Hey, I know you. Your name's Travis, right?" He couldn't help but smile. She knew his name.

" Yeah, that's right." He said.

" I'm Jillian. We are Mr. Rowe's art class together." She said. 'Yeah, I know your name.' he thought. "Do you come here a lot?" She looked away and laughed. " I'm sorry, that sounded like a really bad pick up line." She slid her money across the bar to the bartender than took her cup and smiled at Travis again. " I wasn't picking you up."

" No, it's okay." He said. What the fuck is wrong with me! Say something else! He yelled silently.

" Well, it was nice to see you outside of class. Have a good night." She said before she turned to walk away.

" Jillian!" He called out without thinking. She turned and offered him another smile.

" Yeah?"

" Ah...have a nice night." He said. She laughed and walked closer to him. She tipped her glass to his to toast. He smiled and held up his glass so they could click them together.

" You too, Travis. See you around." Jillian said.

He watched her walk away then turned back to the bar and sighed as his shoulders dropped. Yeah, she knew his name and now she knew he was shy and awkward with girls. He shook his head and glanced back at her. She was facing him and standing in the center of her group. Some of the girls were looking at him. When they saw him looking they all turned away and laughed. He sighed again and turned back to the bar.

" Wow, that was painful to watch." Derrick said as he and Jones joined Travis at the bar again.

" That was your chance, Travis!" Jones explained.

" Doesn't matter. They are all laughing at me now." Travis said. Derrick signaled to the bartender.

" They aren't laughing at you. They are talking about you, that's for sure." Jones said. " She's smiling and whispering to her friends right now while they are looking at you. I think she likes you." Travis looked at Jones with a frown.

" Don't fuck with me. She does not like me. They are laughing at me." He said.

" They won't be in a minute." Derrick said.

" Why's that?" Travis asked.

" Because you just sent her and her friends a round of drinks. You're welcome." Derrick said he picked up his glass. Travis' head whipped around in her direction as the bartender set a round of drinks in front of the girls. The bartender pointed towards Travis and all the girls looked at him. He whipped back around.

" What the fuck, man!" He explained. " Let's go!" He said.

" No!" Derrick said.

" No, Travis!" Jones explained at the same time.

" Yes. I want to go, please." Travis said.

" Travis?" Her voice flowed over him, making him close his eyes. Derrick and Jones turned away to hide their smiles. He sighed and faced her.

" That wasn't really from me." He said quickly. Jillian frowned slightly.

" But the bartender said..."

" Yeah, I know but my friend bought them." He said.

" Travis!" Derrick said quickly. Jillian looked at him.

" Well, I just wanted to say thanks for the drinks." She said. Travis nodded as he stared into his glass. " Okay, well, see ya." She said before she walked away.

XXXXXX

Travis stumbled into his room later that night. He sat on his bed and slipped off his shoes. He struggled out of his jacket and looked down at himself. He had lost his scarf. He loved that scarf. There was no telling where it went. He had downed three shots, one right after another before they left the bar and he was drunk. He sighed and laid straight back in his bed. His hands came to rest on his stomach as he started at the ceiling. He groaned and shook his head. He was a stupid fuck. Jones was right. that had been his shot and he had blown it.


	2. Chapter 2

_* Please Review! *_

Travis walked into his art class with his stomach in knots. He glanced around the big open space but she wasn't in class yet. He walked over to his table and shrugged his coat off. He hung it on the chair than went over to the couch in the room. He sat down and pulled out his stretch pad. He sighed and started drawing. A second later something slipped over his eyes, making him propel himself from the couch.

" What the hell!" He said as he whipped around. Jillian was standing behind the couch, holding his scarf against her.

" I'm sorry!" She explained. " You left this at the bar. I was giving it back to you." She said. He put his hand in his hair and pulled it slightly.

" Oh, yeah. Sorry, you scared me." He said. She smiled and held the scarf out to him. " Thanks." He said softly as he took it from her. She let it slowly slip from her hands.

" No problem. Have a good day." Jillian said as she turned away and started to leave. Do it, talk to her! He said. He almost jumped over the couch.

" Hey, where are you going?" He asked as he followed her. She glanced at him and smiled.

" Ever heard of skipping class?" She said as she reached the door.

" Don't. Stay...with me." He said. She stopped walking and faced him slowly. He put his hands on the door frame. " Well, you don't have to stay with me, you'd be with the class but you should stay. You should stay." He said. She smiled and laughed then stepped closer to him. She put her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek, taking him by surprise.

" Take notes for me, okay?" She said as she pulled away.

" You know I could come with you, if you want." He said slowly. She tilted her head but kept her smile.

" You're a good guy, Travis. Don't let me corrupt you." Jillian said.

" I'm not that good of a guy." He said. She laughed.

" Oh yeah?" She asked.

" Yeah." She smiled and placed her hands on the door frame too so they were directly across from his.

" That's too bad. I like good guys." She said. She patted the door frame then walked away. He looked out the door and leaned against it as he watched her walk out of the building. He sighed than walked back into the room. It wasn't until later that he realized one of the tassels on his scarf was missing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day he walked into the coffee house with Jones, she nudged him and pointed to one of the couches in the center of room. He looked up and saw Jillian sitting with her back to him. He looked back at Jones who nudged him again. She pushed him towards Jillian even though Travis shook his head. Jones laughed and pushed him again.

" Come on, Travis! Go and talk to her!" Jones said. Travis sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He started towards her.

He had no idea what to say to her. He walked slowly towards her, his mind racing and his heart beating like crazy. Her head was tilted slightly to one side and he noticed she was drawing. He reached the back part of couch and opened his mouth to say something to her but stopped. She was drawing a picture of his scarf. She had stretched it and was in the process of coloring it in with the colors and design matching his scarf. In her left hand she was playing with the tassel from his scarf. She was rolling it around in between her fingers. He picked up his scarf and took a better look at it. He realized it had been cut off. He started backing away. He turned around and hurried back to Jones who was shaking her head.

" Travis! What the hell are you doing?" She asked when he got closer to her. He took her arm and led her outside.

XXXXXXXXXX

He was sitting at his computer when Jones and Derrick walked into his room later that day. Both of his friends, and roommates, sat on his bed. He was holding a glass a Jack Daniels as he looked at his work on the computer. Jones had been bouncing with excitement when they walked home from the coffee house. She was grabbing his arm and shaking it after he told her what he had seen.

" So let me get this straight, Travis. This girl was drawing a picture of your scarf, has a piece of it she was playing with and you still didn't ask her out." Derrick said.

" You just had to tell him, didn't you?" Travis asked. Derrick grinned.

" I know from some reliable sources that your little girlfriend is at the bar, right now so come on. We are going out." Derrick said. Travis set his glass down.

" I don't know." He said.

" Travis, get up!" Jones said. " You were just complaining the other day that you needed to get laid, this is your chance!"

" You want to get laid, don't you?" Derrick said.

" Yeah, I'm still need to get laid." Travis said. Derrick clapped his hands together and grinned.

" Well, let's get you laid than!" He explained.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Travis leaned against the doorway as he watched her interact with her friends. She was sitting at a table talking and laughing. Travis just couldn't push his self forward. A year of watching her hadn't improved his bravery. Derrick patted his shoulder, making Travis glance at him. Derrick smiled and grabbed Travis's arm. He started pulling him towards the girls.

" Come on, Travis. We are getting you laid tonight." He said. Travis shook him off but continued walking with his friend. Jones had wondered off as soon as her boys descended on the girls. " Ladies!" Derrick announced when he reached the girls. All five girls glanced up. Travis noticed Jillian looked at him right away. " Can we join you?" He pushed Travis towards her. The girl sitting beside Jillian squeezed her leg under the table and got up. She took a hold of Travis' arm and pushed him to sit down beside her. Jillian smiled at him.

" Hi." She said. He smiled.

" Hi." He said.

" So, did I miss anything today?" She asked.

" Not much, same shit." Travis said.

" Travis is bad with introductions, I'm Derrick." Derrick said as he leaned over the table. He held his hand out to her. Jillian smiled and shook his hand.

" Yeah, I know who you are." She said. Derrick grinned.

" Oh you do?" Jillian laughed but turned her attention back to Travis while her friends started talking to Derrick.

" Your friend is well known ladies man." She said to Travis. He smiled and looked at the table as he rubbed the back of his neck.

" Yeah, I guess." He said. Jillian reached out and took a hold of her drink. She brought it to her mouth and took a sip. Travis sighed and looked at her. " You wanna go somewhere quiet? Like another part of the bar or outside?" He asked. Jillian smiled slightly.


	3. Chapter 3

_* Please Review! My take on Travis is that he is kind backwards and shy. I thought that was how he came across in the movie.*_

" So where did you go?" Travis asked as he leaned against the railing outside of the bar. He was smoking and watching her as she stood across from him. She was leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back.

" Do you really want to talk about what I did instead of going to class?" She asked.

" Just wondering, you know. Trying to get to know you better." Travis said before he took a hit from his smoke. She smiled and nodded.

" I went to the hospital to visit someone." Jillian said.

" Couldn't have gone after class?" He asked. She shook her head.

" No." She said. " Strict visiting hours." She said.

" Who were you visiting?" He asked.

" My brother." Jillian said.

" Was he in an accident or something?" Travis asked. Jillian sighed and pushed away from the wall. She walked up to him and put her hands on the railing on either side of him.

" Is that what you want to do when we are alone?" She asked. He smiled as she slowly brought herself against him. His eyes shifted down her as she brought her legs to his, her waist to his, her stomach to his and finally her chest against his. He looked into her dark eyes.

" Not really." He said softly.

" Didn't you say you wanted to take me some place quiet?" Jillian asked.

" Yeah." Travis said as he brought one hand to her waist. He slipped it into her jacket so he could touch her body easier. She started rubbing her hips against him slowly.

" And is this really where you want me?" She asked as she took his smoke from him.

" No." He said. He watched as she put it in her mouth and took a drag. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes. She inhaled than let the smoke slip from her mouth. She smiled and brought the cigarette back to his mouth. He opened his mouth and let her put it in between his lips. She laughed softly.

" Then why don't you take me where you want me." She asked as she moved even closer to him.

His hand moved from her waist to her neck as he brought his mouth down to hers. How was this happening? He was asking as he kissed her. How did I go from not talking to her to making out with her outside the bar? She tasted sweet as his tongue flowed into her mouth. There was no taste of alcohol on her tongue. He dropped his smoke and put his other hand to her neck as they made out painfully slow. She took a hold of his wrists as she pressed completely against him. She twisted her tongue around his, pulling it farther into her mouth. His hands tightened on her neck as excitement coursed through him.

" Take me to your place." She whispered when she pulled away from him. Travis's tongue flicked out and across his bottom lip as he nodded.

Derrick's head flicked up as Travis walked towards him and her friends. He was leading Jillian by her hand. Derrick grinned and nodded to Travis. Jones slipped into the seat by Derrick and toasted Travis who tried to hide his smile as he passed them. Jillian patted her friend's shoulder than they disappeared out of the bar.

" Ah, I don't live far from here, you want to walk?" Travis asked. She smiled and squeezed his gloved hand.

" Whatever you want." She said.

" Um," He bit his lip and looked down the road as he started shifting his weight from one leg to another. He looked back at her then back down the road. " Let's just start walking and if we catch a cab, we catch one." He said.

" Okay." She said as she snuggled into her jacket. The night was cold, it wasn't winter yet but they could smell the frost in the air.

They started walking quickly and he noticed she looked cold. He pulled his hand away from her and took off his scarf. He hardly went without it. He smiled as he wrapped it around her neck. Jillian laughed and said thanks. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him. They picked up their pace again while he started flagging down cabs.

Once they got one to stop, Travis let her go in first. He slipped in next to her and shut the door. He gave the cab driver directions to his place a second before she slipped on top of him. She straddled him as they started making out again. She was working her hips slowing against him, making him harder and harder. His hands went into her jacket and gripped at her hips. He started driving her movements against him. He was thrusting without thinking. She was moaning and breathing hard against him. He wanted her so bad he had almost forgotten they were riding in the cab.

Once they pulled up to his loft, he almost threw the money at the cab driver. He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the cab, making her laugh. He tugged on her as he pulled her towards the building. They had to climb a few flights of stairs to get to his apartment and never before had he ever cursed their building for not having an elevator. He dug his keys out of his pocket as she placed herself between him and the door.

She grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him against her. His mouth crushed against hers as his fingers wrapped around his keys. He fumbled through the different keys until he found the right one. Her cold fingers were holding his face against hers as they made out again. He picked her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. He brought his free hand to the door and felt around until he found the lock. He plunged the key in and turned it quickly. They almost tumbled into his apartment. Jillian giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his neck as he slammed the door shut. He held her close as he hurried through the apartment. His room was on the ground level of the loft so it didn't take him long to reach it. He walked in and kicked the door shut before he let her slide down him.

She looked around his messy room as she took her jacket off. Travis rubbed his chin nervously. She walked over to his desk and laid her jacket down across the chair. He took his off and tossed it on top of his dresser. Was she going to think he was disgusting because his clothes were everywhere and his mattress was sitting on the floor? She started unwrapping his scarf as she smiled at him.

" It doesn't usually look like this." He said softly. She kept her smile as she started towards him.

" I don't give a shit what your room looks like." Jillian said.

He smiled as she came up to him. He put his hands into her hair again as they started to make out. He walked them towards her bed, with her walking backwards. Her hands came to his wrists again. Her tongue moved slowly against his, sliding over and around his. He wanted this girl so bad for so long and she was finally with him. He was going to know what it was like to have her in his bed and finally, his year and half dry spell was going to end.

Travis still had his jeans on but his shirt was on the floor next to hers. She had taken her bra off but her jeans were still on and they were still making out. Travis knew he needed to get up and get a condom but he didn't want to stop kissing her. He liked the way she was rubbing her breasts against his chest. He liked how her hips were thrusting slowly against him.

" Do you have anything?" She whispered against his mouth. He looked down at her.

" Yeah, ah, hang on." He said as he pulled away.

He stood up and hurried out of his room, shutting the door behind him. He went to the stairs and jogged up them quickly. He went straight into Derrick's room and over to his night stand. Travis knew where he kept his condoms. He noticed his hands were shaking as he pulled open the top drawer. He grabbed a condom out than closed the drawer. He just couldn't believe the girl he had been watching for a year was downstairs, in his bed, waiting for him. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he ran down the stairs.

When he came back into his room, he shut and locked his door. The last thing he needed was for Derrick and Jones to walk in. A shut door meant nothing to them. He faced Jillian and noticed she had gotten under the blankets. Next to his bed, on top of their clothes, were her jeans. She was smiling and he knew she was completely naked under the covers. This was it, this was happening, he realized. A part of him had thought she was going to pull out before they actually had sex but no there was no doubt in his mind. She wanted him and was waiting for him.

Travis laid over Jillian while they made out again. She didn't break their kissing as she took the condom from his hand. He heard her open it a second before her hands moved down his body, in between them. He almost jumped out of his skin when her hands circled around him. One hand grasped him while her other hand placed the condom on the head of his penis. He couldn't stop himself from groaning as she slipped the condom down his length. She made sure it fit over him than pulled him towards her.

He opened his eyes as she pulled her mouth from his. She had her eyes shut and he pushed into her slowly. The sensations flowed up through his entire body as he moved completely inside her. One of her hands tightened on his side while her other hand came into the hair at the back of his head. He closed his eyes and started kissing her again as they moved together. Her moans and sighs filled him and drove him on.

Jillian brought her legs up and over his. She tighten them on his leg as she matched his thrusts. He kissed down her cheeks to her neck. Both her hands came into his hair. She ran her hands up the back his head than back down again. He squeezed his eyes shut as his mouth fell open against her skin. He had completely forgotten how good sex felt. She arched her back and moaned loudly. She didn't just move her hips when she had sex, she was moving her whole body.

" Travs!" She cried out. " Oh my God, it feels so good!" Her eyes flew open as she pulled his hair. He flicked his tongue out and against her skin. He groaned as he brought his mouth to hers.

They were breathing hard against each other as they started kissing again. Her breath was hot against his cheek. Their tongues moved quickly as they started losing their rhythm. He was praying she was going to get off before him. He didn't want her disappointed but he was getting close. He was desperately thinking of anything and everything he could but her body and mouth were driving him insane. He picked up his pace, thrust harder into her. He couldn't kiss her anymore, their lips were touching but they weren't kissing as they panted together. Suddenly she yanked his hair hard.

" Oh my God!" She squealed as her legs tighten around his waist. He only a few seconds to enjoy her orgasm before his own slammed into him. He hit her hard with his body as he tensed up. His back arched as his forehead came to her neck.

" Oh, shit!" He moaned. " Oh shit, shit, shit!"

She jerked quickly as her body finally started to relax around him. Her legs lessen their hold on his and her hands flattened out against the back of his head. Slowly he brought his body down on top of hers. He rested his head on the pillow beside hers, with his face turned towards her. She hugged him than placed a kiss against his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

" Hi." She said. He smiled.

" Hi." He said. He moved his hips to pull out of her than laid against her side. He closed his eyes and put his hands on his head. He used his palms to rub his eyes. Jillian smiled and and sighed with her eyes closed.

" You have no idea how much I needed that." She said. He laughed.

" Yeah, me too." He brought his hands under the blankets quickly. He took a hold of himself with one hand and pulled the condom off with the other. There was a trashcan sitting directly against his bed, above his head. He tilted his head back to make sure he was hitting it as he dropped the condom into it. He looked back at her as she sat up. He propped himself up on his elbows. " What are you doing?" He asked as she stood up. She faced him with smile. She reached down and picked up her panties.

" Getting dressed." She said as she shimmed them up. She was completely unshy about being naked in front of him.

" Wait, " He sat up quickly. " where are you going?" She was started to get dressed.

" Home. I'm tired and I have class in the morning." She said.

" Well, you could stay here." He said slowly. She stood up straight and zipped up her jeans.

" That's okay. I roll around a lot and sometimes talk in my sleep. I will just keep you up and you have class at 8." She said before she reached down and grabbed her bra.

" How do you know when I have class?" He asked. She laughed but didn't say anything as she finished getting ready. She pulled her shirt on than climbed in bed with him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a closed mouth kiss as she sat on him.

" I will see you later." She whispered against his mouth.

" Can I get your number?" He asked. She stood up straight and moved towards his desk.

" Yeah, I will leave it on your table out there." She said. He held the blanket to him as he watched her put her jacket on. She picked up his scarf and smelled it with a smile. " You smell so good." She said before she set it done. He smiled as she came to him again. She kissed him and started to pull away but Travis grabbed her by her neck and pulled her down to kiss her again. " I have to go, Travs." She whispered.

" Yeah, alright." He said. Travs, no one had ever given him a nickname before but he liked it.


	4. Chapter 4

_* Please Review! *_

Travis and Jillian had class together on Mondays and Wednesday so he didn't see her again until Wednesday. She hadn't left her phone number for him and he didn't know where she lived. He was both nervous and excited to see and talk to her. When he walked into their big class room, he saw her back in the corner where she and one of her friends always stayed. She was looking at a blank canvas. He stopped walking and rubbed his chin. He looked away than back at her a second before he started towards her.

" Hey." He said when he reached her.

" Hey, Travs." Jillian said with a smile.

" So, you didn't leave your number so I couldn't call you." Travis said. Jillian looked away and started going through the brushes she was going to use that day.

" No, I did. On the coffee table." She said.

" Oh, well, I didn't see it." He said. He had almost tore the loft apart, trying to find it. He had accused Derrick of hiding it to fuck with him. Derrick swore he hadn't touched it but Travis was starting to not believe him.

" Well maybe you didn't look hard enough." She teased him as she looked at him.

" Everyone, gather around!" Their teacher called out as he came into the room. Jillian looped her arm around his and they started towards the teacher.

" So maybe you should just give it to me again." He said.

" Maybe you should find it so I know you really want it." She whispered to him a second before the teacher started to speak. Jillian rested her head on his shoulder.

XXXXXXXXX

" Jillian!" Travis called out as he hurried out of the classroom after class. He shouldered his bag and caught up to her quickly. " You want to go and get some coffee or something?" He asked. She smiled as she looked at him.

" You don't have class right now?" She asked.

" No, do you?" He asked as they walked.

" No." Jillian said.

" So you want to go? Get coffee?" He asked. Jillian stopped walking, making him look at her. She looked conflicted and he was confused. He thought she had like him.

" Sure." She said. He smiled. " Do you have a car?" He scratched the side of his head.

" Ah, no." He said.

" Well I do so come on." Jillian said as she looped her arm with his again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jillian sat across from Travis at a small booth at the coffee shop. She had her hands wrapped around the cup and wasn't looking at him. He watched her but she seemed lost in her own thoughts. He was starting to doubt that she liked him. Maybe she had just used him for sex. She didn't seem like the type, he had never seen her with any guys. Finally she shook herself and smiled up at him.

" So, when are you going to be done with school?" She asked.

" Two more years. You?" Travis asked.

" The same. What do you want to do after you graduated?" Jillian asked.

They stayed at the coffee shop, talking together for a few hours. They had moved from the booth to the couch so they could sit together. They were sitting close together, their shoulders touching as they talked. Okay, maybe she does like me, he was thinking to himself. She laughed and smiled a lot while they talked. She asked him a lot of questions about himself and seemed into whatever he was talking about. They showed each other differently drawings they were working on.

" Do you just have the one brother than?" He asked as he looked through her stretch book.

" No." She said as she looked through his book. He looked at her than back at her book.

" Do you have a sister or another brother?" Travis asked.

" I had another brother but he passed away a few years ago." She said.

" Oh, wow, I'm sorry to hear that. What happen?" He asked. She shut his book and smiled at him.

" I'm going to get some more coffee. You want some?" She asked.

" Yeah, sure." He said.

After she walked away, he put his arm around the back of the couch and looked behind it to her. He sighed as he watched her go up to the counter. He turned back around and started looking through her book again. He wondered if he'd see the picture of his scarf he knew she had been drawing. He came to a picture of a beautiful woman. She looked a little like Jillian only older. He tilted his head as he looked at the picture.

" Here you go." Jillian said as she sat down beside him. She handed him a cup.

" Thanks." He said. He held up the picture. " This is your mom?" He asked. Jillian looked it the picture and he noticed her shoulders dropped.

" I forgot that was in there." She said softly. She leaned forward and set her cup down. She sighed as she took the book from him. " Yeah, that's my mom."

" You look like her." Travis said as she brought her fingers to the picture. For a few seconds he wondered if she had forgotten he was there. She closed her eyes and sighed again. Than she snapped the book shut and turned completely towards him, opening her eyes again.

" Look, I don't really like answering personal questions, okay?" She said. He looked at her, seeing how serious she looked.

" Okay." He said.

" Can we just keep this casual?" She asked.

" Yeah, okay." He said. She smiled and sighed as she looked away. She leaned forward and picked up her coffee cup. They fell into silence for a few minutes. She was sipping her coffee as she held it to her mouth. He wasn't sure what to say to her.

" So, my roommates aren't home." She said.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Travis moved above Jillian as they made out slowly in her bed. His hands were running through her hair while her hands were tugging at the ends of his. She was moaning into his kiss as her hips moved with his. She pulled away from his mouth and arched her back. He groaned and started breathing into her neck. She turned her head so her face was against his head. He wasn't sure how he ended up naked in her bed but he wasn't questioning anything.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Travis walked into his apartment later that night and saw Derrick and Jones. Jones was sitting at the couch, reading while Derrick was making something to eat. Jones glanced up at him than back down at her papers. Travis dropped his bag against the wall and smiled as he walked over to the island. He slid into one of the bar stools. Derrick glanced up at him from the frying pan. He paused in his movements.

" Where have you been?" He asked. Travis grinned and shrugged his shoulders. " Where you with that girl again?" Jones took her glasses off and set them on the coffee table as she stood up. Travis rested his arms on the island and linked his hands together, still only grinning.

" Where you with Jillian?" She asked. She was walking towards her boys.

" Well, Jonesy, it's looks like our boy's dry spell is up." Derrick said.

" Is it, Travis?" Jones asked. Travis shrugged his shoulders but didn't speak. Derrick started pointing at him.

" You dog. You're banging her, aren't you?" Derrick said. Travis laughed.

" I don't kiss and tell." He said. Jones patted his shoulder.

" Good for you." She said.


	5. Chapter 5

_* Please Review! Thank you for the reviews!*_

It was Friday and he still hadn't found her number. He didn't have any other classes with her and had debated on going to her place to see her but he hadn't. He was nervous but wanted to see her. Derrick had been giving him shit while Jones was trying to talk him into going and seeing her. By Friday afternoon he swallowed his nerves and went to her apartment. He prayed she was home because her friends intimidated him. They were loud and always made him feel like they were talking about him. He took a deep breath than knocked on the door. He heard moving around from the inside of the apartment a second before the door opened. A blond haired girl, Travis knew she hung out with, answered the door.

" Jilly, your boyfriend is here!" She called as she walked back into the parking lot. She didn't say a word to Travis.

" My boyfriend?" Jillian asked as she walked out of her bedroom. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him. He put his hands in his pockets. " Hi." She said. He smiled slightly.

" Hi." He said. Jillian quickly walked through the small living and dining room. She took a hold of his arm and pulled him into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

" What are you doing here?" She asked.

" Are you sure you gave me your number because I can't find it anywhere and trust me, I have been looking." He said. She bit her lip.

" Um. Come on." She took his arm again and started pulling him towards her room. She pushed him into her room and shut the door behind him. He watched as she walked over to her bed and sat down. She sighed and shook her head.

" What's going on?" He asked.

" I didn't leave you my number." She admitted.

" Why not? Why didn't you just tell me that?" Travis asked.

" Because, I didn't want to have this conversation. I should have never went home with you or brought you here." Travis felt his stomach drop. She looked up at him.

" Why not?" He asked.

" Jillian!" Her friend called through the door. " We are leaving! We will see you at the bar!"

" Okay!" Jillian yelled out. Travis was leaning against her closet door. They hadn't broken eye contact. She didn't speak again until she heard the front door shut. " I'm sorry."

" What is going on?" Travis asked. " Do you have a boyfriend or something?"

" No, I don't have a boyfriend." She said.

" So you don't like me?" He asked.

" I do like you, that's the problem." She said softly.

" So you like me but you don't want me to have your phone number and you don't want me to be your boyfriend." He asked.

" It's not that easy." She said. Travis stood up straight and walked over to her bed. He sat down beside her.

" What isn't?" He asked. " You like me enough to make out with me and have sex so why can't I be your boyfriend?" Jillian sighed and whined slightly.

" I just can't get close to anyone right now." She said. They were both facing her closet, not looking at each other. Their shoulders were touching. " I like you, a lot actually. More than I thought I did but I'm not in a place where I can have a boyfriend."

" So what do you want? You want to just have sex and that's it? Because I like you and I'm not really looking for a friend with benefits. I don't want to sleep with someone who could be out sleeping with someone else." Travis said. " I want to be with you but I don't want you to be with anyone else." Jillian turned towards him, pulling one leg under her body.

" I can't give you that. I can promise you that I'm not sleeping with anyone else but I can't be your girlfriend." She said. Travis frowned as he looked at her.

" Why not? Do you know how long I have wanting to be with you? How long I have been trying to talk to you?" He asked.

" I can't tell you why." She said as she shook her head. " It's personal."

" We have had sex. I think I have gotten pretty up close and personal with you already so what is it?" He asked. But Jillian just shook her head again.

" I just can't get into it." She said. " Please don't think it has anything to do with you. I really do like you and..." Travis jumped up and looked at her, his blue eyes flashing with anger.

" It has nothing to do with me! What is it? You don't want people to see us together, is that it? You think I'm not good enough for you?" He snapped. Jillian stood up and started towards him.

" Travs, please, this really has nothing to do with you. I promise. It's not that I don't want people to see us together, it's not that." She pleaded.

" Then what?" Travis snapped.

" I just can't get into it. She said.

" This is bullshit. I'm leaving." Travis said as he turned away from her. She came after him, calling his name but Travis ignored her. He moved through her apartment and left without another word to her. Jillian sighed and closed the door after him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

" Come on, Travis, don't be upset." Jones said as Travis stared into his beer later that night.

" Yeah, at least you got some good sex. I mean, you said it was good." Derrick said.

" It was good but it's not about that." Travis said. Derrick sighed and turned so his back was against the bar.

" You know, I don't get you, Travis. You wanted this girl for a year now and you finally get her in the sac and you're acting all moody. I don't see what the problem is. Here is this beautiful, hot ass girl who wants to fuck your brains out but doesn't want you to call her and you're upset about it. Most guys who KILL for that, I know I would." He said.

" Ignore him." Jones said as she put her hand on his arm. " I say, if you like this girl like you say you do, than go after her." Travis sighed and looked at her. " Make her fall for you. The seed is already there. You said so yourself, she likes you now make her want to be your girlfriend. No one can have casual sex for long without feelings getting involved." Derrick grinned and turned back around.

" Jonesy's right. Do the casual sex thing with her until she either decides to date you or she moves on, either way, you're getting great sex." He said as he slapped Travis on the back. Travis shook his head.

" I can't do it, I just can't do the casual sex. It's not me." Travis said.

" Oh course it is, Travis. It's all guys, it's what we are made to do. In fact, I'm going to do it tonight." Derrick said before he walked away.

" It's like she's hiding something but I can't figure out what is it." Travis said.

" You want me to do some digging? You know I can find anything out." Jones said. Travis shook his head as he looked over to where her friends usually sat. Most of them were there but she hadn't shown up yet. He looked back at the bar.

" I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

_* Please Review! *_

The weekend went slow for Travis. He had only slept Friday night because he had gotten shit faced drunk. Saturday he spent hung-over and sick. He slept off and on the couch while Jones offered to make him soup or tea and Derrick made fun of him for sulky after a girl. Sunday he worked on his artwork and some homework and by Monday, he was ready to face her again. But she never came into class.

After class was up, he walked out slowly and started outside when he saw one of her friends, the one from her apartment. The blond was leaning against the railing by the stairs leading to the parking lot. She looked up and saw him coming. She stood up straight like she had been expecting him or waiting for him. Travis stopped walking, shouldered his bag and started walking again.

" Hey, you're Travis, right?" The girl asked. He stopped walking by her.

" Yeah. You live with Jillian." He said. She nodded.

" My name is Tiffany." She said. He nodded. " So I came here, looking for you. I think you should give her a chance. Just accept what she can offer you right now because she actually really likes you, like a lot and you kind of hurt her feelings."

" I hurt her feelings? She just told me she doesn't want to be with me." Travis said.

" She didn't tell you she didn't want to be with you, she said she couldn't, there's a difference." Tiffany said.

" Not much." He said as he started to walk away. Tiffany hurried up to his side.

" Look, I can't tell you why she said that, it's not my story to tell, but what I can say is, you need give her a chance, you need to go after her. She needs someone to break through her wall. She's scared. And she has liked you since she first saw you." She said.

" What is she scared of?" Travis said. " What happen to her? Did she have a boyfriend who raped her? Did she get beat up or something?"

" No, no crazy exs'." Tiffany suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. They faced each other.

" She's at The Coffee House. I can't tell you what happen to her, like I said, it's not my story to tell but I can say she needs someone besides her friends showing her she's normal. She has never just went home with a guy. She's not a bed hopper, I would know. We have been friends since Jr High. Jillian wants to be with you but she doesn't think she can so she's giving you what she can right now. She's taking what she can from you."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Travis walked into The Coffee House and spotted her right away. She was sitting at the couch in the middle of the room, her back to him. He walked over to the counter and ordered them both a drink. He watched her while he waited. She was either writing or drawing something. He paid for the drinks than picked them up and started over to her.

" Hey." Travis said as he came up to her side. Jillian jumped and looked up at him. She looked back at her papers.

" Hey." She said softly. He sat down beside her and handed her the coffee.

" Got this for you." He said. She looked at the cup than at him and smiled.

" Thanks." She said as she took it.

" Missed class." He said. She nodded.

" Yeah. I had to visit my brother." She said as she looked away. She set the cup on the table.

" So can you only go on Mondays?" He asked as she started shifting her papers around.

" No, I usually go on Saturdays but I didn't feel like it this weekend so I went today." She said softly.

" What hospital is he in?" He asked. Her hands paused in their movements.

" Ah...It's not a local hospital." She said slowly. Travis frowned and shook his head.

" So which one is it?" He asked. Jillian closed her eyes briefly. He watched her hands start to shake slightly. She cleared her throat and opened her eyes. She looked at him.

" Ridgewood." She said.

" Isn't Ridgewood a hospital for the criminally insane?" He asked. She looked away and started shoving her papers into her bag.

" Yeah, it is. Look, I better go." She said. He leaned back in the couch, this was not how he wanted this to go.

" Jillian, wait." He said as he took her hand. " I'm not judging you. You don't even have to tell me why he's in there." She sat back and looked at him. They looked at each other for a while before she broke eye contact and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her light blue shirt.

" He killed our younger brother." She said softly.

" Wow. I'm...ah...I'm sorry to hear that." He said. She bit her lip and nodded as she stared at her hands.

" Yeah, slit his throat and stabbed him four times. He was trying to bleed the devil out of him." She said.

" How old was your little brother?" Travis asked. Jillian looked at up him than and sighed.

" 12. Eric was 12, Nick and I were 19. It happen three years ago." She said.

" So Nick is your twin?" Travis asked. She nodded.

" Yeah."

" So you visit him once a week?" He asked as he leaned forward and picked up her forgotten coffee cup. When she took it from him, and muttered a thanks, he took her free hand in his.

" Yeah. He doesn't really remember what happen. He thinks he exercised Eric's demons and that he is in Heaven now. He thinks the demons killed Eric." She said.

" I'm really sorry." Travis said.

XXXXXXXXX

Travis' hands were buried deep into her hair as they laid side by side in his bed. Her finger tips were grazing his neck. They were making out slowly, he was still inside her even though they were done having sex. He knew she was going to leave the second he came out of her and he was trying to prolong their time together. He wanted her to spend the night but knew she wouldn't. Jillian slowly ended their kissing.

" I should go." She said.

" You don't have too." He said as she shifted, making him slip out of her. " I mean, come on, it's late and it's cold. Just stay the night." Jillian was smiling even though she was shaking her head.

" I can't, Travs." She said.

" Do you want too?" He asked. She sighed and didn't answer for a few minutes.

" Yeah, I do but I can't." She said.

" I'm not going to push you. You do what you want but I want you to stay with me. If you don't want too or you can't than I guess I will see you Wednesday." He said. She nodded as she turned to her back and sat up.

" So should we plan on coffee and my place after class?" She asked. He watched as she stood up and faced him. She reached down and grabbed her little black thong. He was going to take both Jones and Derrick's advice. The sex was amazing. Maybe he could do the casual sex thing with her until she decided what she wanted or could do.


	7. Chapter 7

_* Please Review! *_

And the next couple of weeks, that's what they did. They hooked up Monday nights at his place, Wednesday nights at her place and Friday nights at either or. He was having to buy his own condoms because Derrick won't give him anymore. Derrick made comments about how Travis was getting more than he was. But they weren't just having sex. They would hang out at The Coffee House and talk. They'd talk and joke around during class. He had even set up his station next to hers.

Everything was fine until he walked into The Coffee House with Jones and saw Jillian sitting at their couch with another guy. The guy was tall, well dressed and looked to be in his thirties. Jillian was smiling and laughing at something the guy had said while she held her coffee cup in her hands, the hands that only the night before had been wrapped around Travis' dick. The guy was talking and grinning at her. Travis narrowed his eyes as he and Jones slipped into a booth.

" Maybe he's a family member or something." Jones said. Jillian laughed again and grabbed the guy's wrist who was still grinning. Travis sunk down into his seat.

" Doesn't look like family to me." He snapped. Jones looked back at her then at Travis again. " Let's just go. I don't want to see this shit." He said.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The next night, Jillian noticed a change in Travis. He wasn't smiling like he usually did when they were all hanging out at the bar. He hardly talked to or even looked at her, despite her best attempts to engage him. He didn't try to hold her hand when they walked up to her place. He didn't try to kiss her as they walked to her room. He followed her inside her room than closed her door hardly looking at her at all. He pulled his shirt off as he faced her.

" Are you alright?" Jillian asked.

" Yep, just great. Can we just have sex? I'm tired and I want to go home to sleep." He snapped. Jillian frowned.

" We don't have to have sex." She said.

" Oh yeah, let's just make out and cuddle." He said sarcastically. " Maybe we could just have coffee and you can laugh at everything I say."

" You know what, I'm not really in the mood for anything right now." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

" Then why the hell am I here?" Travis snapped before he grabbed his shirt and walked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

" Wow, Travis, you sure know to pick them." Derrick said the next day. Travis was sitting at his computer, still angry with her about the man in the coffee shop. He leaned back in his chair and looked at his friend.

" What are you talking about?" He asked. Jones walked into his room and set some papers down in front of him. " What the hell is this?" He started reading through things.

" Your girl, you know her as Jillian Collins, right? Well, turns out, her real name is Jillian Winters. A few years ago she had her last name changed." Derrick said.

" Why would she do that?" Travis asked without looking up.

" Because her dad and brother flipped out and killed her mother and her younger brother." Derrick said. Travis glanced up at his friends then started reading the papers again.

" Her dad is in prison and her brother is in a state hospital. They claimed her mother and brother were full of demons. They slit their throats than started stabbing them. They smeared their blood all over the walls of the house and when Jillian came home, they were waiting for her." Jones said. Travis was looking through the articles and police reports she had given him. There were pictures of Jillian sitting on her porch steps, covered in blood. There were some close up shots of her and she had blood smeared on her face. She was staring straight ahead in all the pictures with no expression on her face.

" How did you get these?" Travis asked.

" Don't question my methods." Jones said.

" Good thing it's over between you two. She's a crazy bitch." Derrick said. " She had to go and talk to people because she thought she was going to flip out and lose her mind like her dad and brother did."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Travis didn't see her the next day, which was Thursday and when Friday came around, Jillian found him during the day. He saw her moving through the crowd outside in the yard of the campus. Her face was dark and her cheeks had tears running down them. She was moving fast towards Travis and Derrick as they walked towards her. When she reached him, Jillian pushed Travis as hard as she could.

" Mother fucker!" She screamed.

" Whoa!" Travis said as he moved to grab her arms. " What the hell?" Jillian ripped away from him.

" How could you!" She screamed.

" What's going on?" Travis asked.

" Like you don't know! You are the only one I told about my brother and suddenly everyone fucking knows what happen to me! I changed my fucking last name to hide the truth than I decided to let you in and now the whole fucking college knows!" She snapped.

" I didn't tell anyone, Jillian." Travis said. " I swear." Jillian hit him in the chest with the school newspaper.

" Don't fucking lie to me, Travis! This is over! I never want to talk to you again!" She snapped before she walked away. Travis looked at the paper and opened it up.

' Do you really know who your classmates are? Do we have the right to know if one of the students here has a violent past?' The article went on about Jillian and what had happen to her. It told her whole story. He read about how she had to fought her brother as he tried to stab her. It went on about how she ran down the hallway of their house and slipped onto her back and landed in a pool of her mother's blood. Her dad had grabbed her by her hair, screaming she was the devil and he needed to save her. She had spun around and kicked him in the nuts to get him to let her go than she ran to the neighbors house and banged on the door, begging for help. She had been in therapy for years because she was terrified she was going to lose her mind like they had. The article was signed by a guy who worked at the paper. Travis dropped the paper and looked at Derrick.

" Who did this? Who put this out there?" He asked.

" I don't know, man. But can you believe this?" Derrick asked as he laughed.

" This isn't fucking funny!" Travis said as he started walking away.

" Oh come on, Travis! Don't be like that! The bitch is crazy! It's good you found out now." Derrick called after him.

" She's not crazy!" Travis called out. " And she's not a bitch!"

" Travis! Come back!" Derrick called out but Travis didn't turn around. He needed to talk to Jones. She worked for the school newspaper, if anyone knew about this, it would be her.


	8. Chapter 8

_* Please Review! *_

Jones was sitting at their coffee table with her glasses on Travis burst into the apartment. He threw his bag down the long hallway of the loft as he slammed the door shut. Jones sighed and pulled off her glasses. She knew he was going to be pissed, she had read the paper. She stood up at the same time he reached the great room.

" What the hell, Jones? How could you do that!" He snapped.

" I didn't. I didn't tell anyone. I must have left my notes at school in the office and Bryan took them. He choose to run the story." Jones said.

" Oh right! So you find the story out about her and it just happens to get published the next day? Do you know she won't even talk to me now?" Travis snapped.

" Listen, we will go and talk to her, explain it was a mistake." Jones said.

" You are going to explain it to her! You are going to fix this!" Travis snapped. " Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jillian was sitting on the couch with Tiffany. Her best friend had her arm around her shoulders as Jillian cried. She had moved away from her hometown and changed her last name to hide her past. No one at the college knew what had happen to her but Tiffany. No one was supposed to know. In their town, people looked at her like she was going to crack and fall apart at any moment. She couldn't stand the way people whispered about her and now it was happening again. A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

" I will get it." Tiffany said before she walked away. She walked through the small apartment and opened the door. Travis was standing there, shifting his weight around and rubbing his chin.

" Is Jillian here?" He asked, making her head snap up. She stood up quickly and started towards her room.

" I do not want to talk to him!" She called out. Travis pushed passed Tiffany, dragging Jones behind him.

" Jillian, wait!" He said as they moved through the apartment.

" No! I don't want to see you!" She said. She tried to shut her bedroom door but Travis grabbed it.

" Tell her, Jones!" He said as they walked into her room. Jillian was sitting on her bed.

" She is your friend! Like I'm going to listen to anything she says!" Jillian yelled as Tiffany came into the room. She moved over to her friend.

" Listen, it's not Travis' fault. It really isn't, just hear me out." Jones said quickly. Jillian was frowning as she looked from Travis to Jones. " We felt like you were hiding something from Travis, he was upset that you wouldn't be his girlfriend so I...I decided digging into your past. I was looking for anything I could find and..."

" You had no right to do that! My past is mine! The reasons I can't be his girlfriend are none of your business!" Jillian said as she paled.

" I know, I know! But Travis is my friend and he was upset." Jones tried to explained.

" So you find out about Jillian's past and decided to spread it around? You're really classy." Tiffany spit out as the two friends embraced.

" I didn't spread it around. I got copies of the police files and I showed it to Travis. I must have left the files at school and Bryan, from the newspaper found them. I'm so sorry!" Jones tried to explain. Jillian had tears flowing down her cheeks.

" It was none of your business, Travis! I didn't want you to know the entire story!" She said.

" Look this is not his fault, it's all mine." Jones said as she started to come foward Jillian looked at Tiffany.

" Get her the fuck out of here before I flip out and beat her ass!" Jillian snapped. Tiffany nodded and walked towards Jones. She grabbed her arm and the two girls left the room with Tiffany closing the door behind her. Jillian sat on her bed but didn't look at Travis.

" I'm sorry, Jillian." He said. She wiped her cheeks and shook her head.

" It doesn't matter, Travis." He didn't miss that she wasn't calling him by her nickname. " How long have you known?"

" A couple of days." He said as he walked over to her. He slowly sat down beside her. She shook her head as she wiped her cheeks.

" Is that why you didn't want to have sex the other day?" She asked.

" No. I was upset with you. I saw you at The Coffee House with a guy. You were laughing and having a good time with him. I got upset. Jones did some digging and than I found shit out." He said. She looked at him than, her dark eyes shining.

" He was the lawyer that put my dad in prison. He has helped me deal with things that happen. He had become like a brother to me. We are working together so that my dad spends the rest of his life in jail. If you had asked me about him, I would have told you that." She said.

" I'm sorry. I just...I got upset. I felt like you liked this other guy." He said.

" So you got into my private business because you were jealous?" Jillian asked.

" I didn't. I told Jones not too but she did it anyway." Travis said.

" But you read the file and you didn't have too. Do you know why I said no to being your girlfriend?" She asked. Travis shook his head. " Because I'm not mentally healthy. I'm not ready to have a boyfriend, not until I have dealt better with my past. I'm scared, okay? I'm scared I will turn into my dad and brother and I don't want to have anyone around me in case I do go nuts. I don't want to turn on my family like he did." She said.

" You aren't. You can't think like that." Travis said as he took her hand. Jillian shook her head.

" You don't know that. I don't know that." She started as she took her hand away from him. " That is why I'm in counseling. So I can help overcome my fears about my past and have a healthy relationship. I didn't say I won't be your girlfriend because I only want to have casual sex. I like you, I really like you but I can not be with you right now."

" Why didn't you tell me that?" Travis asked.

" It was none of your business. I didn't want you to know. It's not a part of my life I wanted anyone to know about. I changed my last name because of the harassment I was getting and now I'm going to have to leave school." She said.

" What? No, you can't leave." He said quickly. Jillian sighed.

" I'm leaving. I can't stay here. You can't image the looks I have been getting already and tomorrow the looks and whispers are going to be worst. I know what people think, I know everyone thinks I'm just like my family and I can't take it. I called Mike, the lawyer you saw me with. I leaving tonight for his place. I'm moving in with him and his family until I find my own place. I have withdrawn from school and I'm going to start over again, somewhere else." She said. Travis took her hand again.

" Don't. Don't go. Come on. We waited a year to be together and now we can be. I don't think you're crazy, I'm not worried about it." He said quickly. Jillian shook her head and looked at him.

" You don't understand, Travs. It's not about what you think, it's about me and what I think. I can not be with someone until I can make myself happy. I can't put it on you to make me happy." She stopped talking then and turned away. She closed her eyes and shook her head, pulling her hand away from him. " You need to go, okay? I need to finish packing." Her voice had dropped again.

" Jillian, please don't go, just stay here. We will get through this, I can help you. I want to help you." Travis said. Jillian shook her head again.

" No. I have to leave. I'm sorry, Travs." She said.


	9. Chapter 9

_* Please Review! *_

6 months later:

" Come on, Jilly, just come out with us. Travis hasn't been to the bar in 5 months. You just finished therapy, got a clean bill of health, come on!" Tiffany pleaded over the phone. Jillian sighed as she sat back on her couch.

" I don't know." She said.

" Look, don't worry about him, okay? It doesn't matter anyone cuz...I think he's seeing someone." Tiffany said slowly. Jillian bit her lip as her stomach dropped.

" Yeah, of course he is." She said softly. " Alright, I'll come. I need a drink."

XXXXXXXX

Travis walked through the bar, being led by his hand by his new girlfriend. He hadn't been back in that bar since a little after Jillian took off. He hadn't heard from her and Tiffany won't tell him anything so he finally gave up and started seeing a girl in one of his classes. She was nice enough to pass the time with but she didn't compare to the fun he had with Jillian. Even when they weren't in bed, him and Jillian always had a great time together. They joked, laughed, and talked together. His new girlfriend didn't make him laugh and she was more into her hair and clothes than anything else.

" Travis." Jones said as she took a hold of his shoulder. He glanced back at his friend then in the direction she was pointing. Travis' step faltered as he dropped his girlfriend's hand. Jillian was sitting in the middle of her friends at their normal table. Her eyes met his at the same moment. Her mouth dropped open and he was sure she was holding her breath. He saw his name form on her lips. " Go talk to her, I will distract Emily." Jones said, making him nod.

Jillian saw him moving towards her so she quickly got up. She moved away from her friends, not taking her eyes from him. Her heart was in her throat, she hadn't missed the girl he had been holding hands with. Jones had taken his spot by the girlfriend and was pushing her to the bar. Jillian was trying not to throw up as she tried to hurry away. She was going to go into try and slip out through the door in the back.

" Jillian!" She heard him call out. She ignored him, picking up her pace. The door was in her sights but she knew he was close.

Travis pushed through the crowd as she moved towards the door. This was not going to happen, he was not going to let her walk out on him again. As soon as she reached the door, she pushed it open and busted out into the night. He reached the door seconds after she disappeared through it. She was hurrying down the steps but he reached her before she could get away.

" Jillian, wait!" He said as he took a hold of her arm. She almost jumped away from him.

" Ah, Travis, hi. I didn't see you there." She said as she faced him.

" You didn't see me or hear me calling out for you?" He asked.

" Were you calling for me?" She asked with a slight laugh.

" Yeah. How are you?" He asked. Jillian crossed her arms over her chest.

" I'm good. Yeah, I'm good." She was speaking quickly. " That your girlfriend?"

" Yeah, no." He said. He came closer to her and took a hold of her arms. He let his hands slid down her arms to take her hands as he said, " Can we go somewhere?"

" You know, I don't think that's a good idea. Your girlfriend won't like it, I'm sure." She said as she started to pull her hands away from him.

" I don't really care." He said as Jillian raised her eyes up to meet his.

" Travs, " He put his hands into her hair and pulled her to him.

He pressed his mouth against her first, than brought his whole self to her. When she didn't pull away, he let one hand go down to her lower back to bring her closer to him. Jillian sighed and parted her lips. Her hands came to his chest as they made out slowly. Their tongues moved together, twisting and untwisting around each other. He felt her tension fade as she melted into him. She moved her hands to his shoulders. She continued to make out with him for a few minutes before she ended it. They rested their foreheads together.

" I finished therapy." Jillian whispered.

" She isn't really my girlfriend." He whispered at the same time. They pulled away and looked at each other. " Let's go somewhere and talk." He said.

" What about your friends? What about her?" She asked. He smiled and rubbed his lip.

" I'm not really worried about her. We're only hanging out, I hadn't slept with her or anything." Travis said. " Besides, Jones is taking care of her."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jillian was gripping his tee shirt while his hands were on her waist. He pushed her backwards towards his bed. They were making out again, had started kissing as soon as they got into his apartment. When they got into his room, he had kicked his door shut. As soon as his bed hit her knees, Jillian tumbled backwards, bring him down with her. His hands came up to the sides of her head, on the bed. She started laughing as they bumped foreheads.

" Are you okay?" He asked as he looked down at her.

" Yeah, are you?" She asked. She slipped her arms around his shoulders. He smiled.

" I'm good now." He said. He brought his hand to her head and tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear.

" I thought we were going to talk." She said.

" We are talking." Travis said.

" I guess I thought we'd talk sitting up." She said. He smiled and moved to her side. He laid down and tilted his head so they were resting together. He had his hands resting on his chest. They were staring at his ceiling. Jillian sighed. " I forgot how good your room smells." He smiled and brought his left hand to her. He took her hand and laced up their fingers. He brought her hand to his chest.

" Been thinking about you." He said after a while. She sighed again.

" I have been thinking about you, too." She said.

" Are you coming back to school?" He asked.

" I don't know. I haven't thought about it." Jillian said. They looked at each other. " I have been released from my therapy."

" What does that mean?" Travis asked.

" That means that my doctor thinks I'm healthy enough to have close relationships. It means that I'm not scared that I'm going to go crazy like my dad and brother." Her voice dropped, making him smile. " I understand it was their choice to do what they did and that I can, and have, made the choice to not follow after them."

" Does it mean that you can have a boyfriend?" He asked.

" It means that I can have a healthy relationship, that I'm ready to be with someone." Jillian said.

" Can that someone be me?" Travis asked. Jillian sighed and looked to his ceiling again.

" You have a girlfriend." She said softly. Travis turned onto his side, making her look at him.

" I'd leave her in a heartbeat if you asked me too. She just someone I hang out casually." He said. She sighed and shook her head.

" I'm not going to ask you to uproot things for me." Jillian said.

" I don't even like her that much. I only asked her out because Derrick won't leave me alone about sulking." He said. Jillian bit her lip and looked at him.

" Can we take our time? Can we go slow? It's been a long time since I had a boyfriend." Travis smiled and let his hand move from her hair to her neck. He started rubbing his knuckles against the center of her neck.

" We can go as slow as you want." Jillian closed her eyes and sighed again.

" You should stop touching me like that." She said. He smiled and opened his hand. He let his fingers trail a line down her throat and across her collarbone. " Travs..." He leaned down and started kissing her neck.


	10. Chapter 10

_* Please Review! This story was short but I hope you liked it. I might do another gossip related story later.*_

2 months later:

Travis was looking down at his book when a weight slammed into his back. He staggered forward slightly as he dropped his book. His hands came around her legs a second before her laugh reached him. Her arms went around his neck and he looked to his left to see her smiling at him. He couldn't help but grin in return.

" Hi." Jillian said.

" Don't you think next time you could give me some warning before you launch yourself onto my back." Travis said as she slid down to his back. She leaned down and picked up his book. He smiled as she handed it to him. He leaned forward and they kissed quickly. Her hands came to rest on either side his face. They gave each other a few more closed mouth kisses before he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

" Fucking shit, knock it off already." Derrick said. Jillian smiled against Travis' mouth. She put her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. She looked at Derrick as Travis nestled his face into her neck. " It's getting old."

" Oh, poor Derrick! I'd ofter to hook you up with one of my friends but I'm pretty sure you have fucked every one of them already." She said. Derrick laughed.

" Yeah, I'm sure I have." He said.

" You know, you might want to think about getting a girlfriend." Travis said as he picked her up. Jillian wrapped her legs around his waist. She smiled at him than leaned her face down and started kissing his neck.

" Why would I want a girlfriend? So I can be as disgusting as you two?" Derrick asked.

" You're just jealous." Jillian said as she looked back at Derrick who sighed.

" Maybe so." He said. " I will see you guys later." Travis looked up at Jillian who smiled down at him.

" I scheduled my classes today." She said. He smiled.

" Yeah? Good. You need to get back in school." He said. Jillian was still smiling.

" If I take summer classes I can still graduate at the same time you do." She said.

" Good, than we can look for our own place." Travis said. She laughed and hugged him tightly.

" You know, you're going to make me fall in love with you." She said. Travis smiled.

" Good. That's kind of my goal." Travis said.

the end


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